Assassin: Everybody Wants To Rule The World
by chinarai
Summary: Sacrifices should be made if she wanted to help her people, that was her duty as a ruler, even though no crown rested on her head yet. Too bad General Link was the main path towards her goal. Twilight Princess AU
1. Chapter I

Hello everyone!

Here is the big project I was talking about, another Assassin story! This one will be different, with lots of theories and headcanons and details, as well as people, from other games. Might not feel too much like TP zelink, but it is haha. It's one big mess, but at some point everything will make sense hehehe I've got all important parts planned, but this won't be updated as quickly as the last one. Still, I hope it's enjoyable!

Inspired by Assassin's Creed Unity, Ubisoft's inability to make playable female characters, Hyrule Warriors, and headcanons for Zelda U.

Thank you for reading and please give me some feedback!

* * *

**Chapter I**

* * *

Steady hands reached for the weapons lined orderly on the rough tabletop, each blade was placed in its designed holster and hoods were pulled over heads, throwing the faces of the wearers in the dark as they exited the building on the outskirts of Castle Town. Leather boots stepped on irregular cobblestones that paved the streets, and the group moved under the faint light of flickering torches towards the north side of the town, towards the steps that would lead them to the grand Hyrule Castle.

Illegal activities were more frequent at night when the snobby Royal Guard retreated to their headquarters and left the people alone for once. Under the tyranny of their new ruler, the inhabitants of the biggest town in all of Hyrule longed for their long past times of peace, and wished their old king returned from his eternal slumber. But this group of four people that worked in the shadows, as burglars terrorized the town and royalty slept under fine comforters, only wished for the best of the population and took it in their hands to deliver them peace.

Climbing over the tall walls surrounding the courtyards was an easy feat with the help of ropes, and soon the team was running through freshly cut grass under the guidance of the one dressed in the lighter hood. "Think you can do it?" The one clad in beige asked the one in the front, who nodded in assurance and took a dark brown robe from the hands of another teammate.

With the darker fabric thrown over the lighter, the group parted ways and left their guide to wander inside the castle on their own, the only person that could infiltrate the palace and find the way to wherever they decided to go. So inside the person went, through the only window of the kitchen that didn't creak when opened, something that hadn't changed over the years. Behind their back stayed the cold bite of the night as the lower sash descended and closed the only open space connecting the inside to the outside, a pair of blue eyes scanned the inside of the room, catching sight of the weak fire still burning the logs under a big iron pot and the deteriorated state of a place that had once been cheerful and alive. Under the dim light provided, the kitchen was as eerie as one of the deepest and longest caves found in Kakariko Gorge, and to prevent the sudden influx of faint memories that was to come, the hooded person moved along and out the door leading to the dining room, swift and silent as their eyes took it all in.

As expected from a tyrant, the awful way of living of the population did in no way mirror the state of the palace. Despite the horrendous new decorations of horns and swords and statues that resembled gargoyles that replaced fine flower vases and classic paintings on the walls, the castle was still intact and with no visible cracks on the walls or floors. But of course it would be in a good condition, the person thought with a huff as they reached the top of the stairs, the invaders, the Gerudos, were now the upper class of Hyrule, subduing all Hylians and humans, and kicked all nobles from their houses so they could take their place on cushioned armchairs and drink from their delicate tea sets.

It was easy to blend in the shadows, and escaping the slivers of light coming from a crescent moon up in the sky was just as easy. The silence stretched on and on, lips were pressed together to hold in puffs of breath that could be too loud to catch someone's attention, but all the palace was engulfed in darkness, it was unlikely that someone was awake, it was way past anyone's bedtime. Still it didn't mean they could let their guard down, for there always were two or three knights patrolling the hallways, even though they deemed that as unnecessary.

The assassin arrived at their destination soon, thanks to the deserted hallways, and also their ability to remember all shortcuts and passageways provided by the architects that built the palace long ago. The elegant oak doors stood tall before them, surface carved with intricate designs, separating the dark hallway from the well lit ballroom, a room that had been built to serve as a theater with three levels of galleries lining the walls, but plans were changed and rows of seats were removed as the conclusion neared. Chairs and round tables were placed around, dishes and silverware were set in place, everything was prepared for a seemingly long celebration, and the thought of the king using the people's money to entertain his caravan of thieves was enervating. But as the figure went further and further into the ballroom, and studied with keen eyes the way the furniture was placed to form four large walkways that met in the middle, they soon realized something was off, and the loud boom that accompanied the dark figure that emerged from the shadows in one of the balconies was all the confirmation needed.

As guard after guard left their hiding places and made their way to the center of the room, the assassin leaped into the air and onto the nearest table, knocking over numerous delicate crystals and porcelain as they hopped from one furniture to the other and headed to the opposite set of balconies. Orders were given from above the mass of people, and the assassin directed their gaze towards the evil king, Ganondorf Dragmire, accompanied by the general of his army, its captain and an advisor in training.

Strong fingers gripped the horns and heads protruding from the columns between each gallery, climbing their way up to the last row of seats before archers could arrive and as guards tried to follow. Blue eyes slid to the left, the usurper unknowingly held the assassin's gaze before they caught sight the thick rope that held in place one fancy chandelier that was never properly installed.

"Zelda!"

The assassin looked up at the dome ceiling, spotting her friends looking down at her in worry through an opening, and thankfully no one seemed to hear the name over the shouts of the guards. With no time left to spare and with her only chance to kill the king already deep down the drain, she picked up her speed and made a leap for the rope, one hand reaching out as the other went for her rapier attached to her hips, and her sharp blade did the trick and cut through the rope with ease, propelling her upward as the chandelier went crashing down. Her friends reached for her wrist and pulled her up as crystal smashed on the floor, instantly killing or gravely injuring anyone under it, and Ganondorf was left to watch as four hooded figures escaped through the ceiling, leaving behind one dark robe. The group exited the area, boots running over tiles, breaths coming out in huffs and gasps until they finally were a safe distance from the castle and could now make their way home.

One of them, however, jogged to catch up with the one dressed in lavender. "Zelda, hey!" The young woman turned at the touch of a hand on her shoulder to face the one in beige. "You'll have other opportunities."

"It was an ambush." She replied simply, biting back the anger and swallowing down the feeling of failure that crept up her throat. "He knew we were coming."

"Ganondorf captured an assassin last week, interrogations were made." The tallest figure of the group stepped in closer, robe as dark as the night.

"What about loyalty to the creed?"

The last member decided to join then. "He is a novice. Ganondorf might have spared his lie in exchange for information." When the one in beige gasped, they added. "You know it's either servitude or death when it comes to him, Ilia."

"I- I know, but-"

A pat on her shoulder calmed her down instantly, and the short girl shrunk back towards the rough stone wall. "Let's hope for the best, but let's not keep our hopes up." Said the tall figure before focusing their attention solely on the blue eyed one. "And you, keep your nerves in check. There will be plenty of opportunities."

Zelda tightened the grip of her fingers on her elbows, but eventually dropped her hands to her sides and exhaled silently. Ilia and the other member put some distance between the duo, but not before the remaining assassin bowed in respect for them; Zelda waited until they were on the other side of the alley to grumble and touch her fingers to her temples, causing her companion to stifle their laughter.

"Perhaps you should head for Twilight Realm with me for the remainder of the week to cool off."

The other shook her head and straightened her back. "I'm fine here in Hyrule."

"It's been a while since you've visited."

She breathed out, eyebrows rising up and lips pulling into a smile, "There's a husband waiting for you at home. You don't have time for me."

Her friend hummed thoughtfully, arms crossed and slender finger tapping down on the darker skin of their arm. "I don't feel comfortable with you hiding in Ordon."

"I'm not hiding there," the words barely made it out of her mouth, because they were partially a lie, "I live there, Midna."

Midna, as usual, pushed further. "A princess deserves a better place to sleep than a tree house."

Zelda laughed, half heartedly and briefly, shoulders not even shaking. "What is a princess without her kingdom and her people?"

The tall assassin lifted a hand, index finger pointed out and slipped into the shadows cast by the lavender robe, fingertip touching the cool and polished surface of a gem. "As long as you have your mother's crown, there's still hope." The hand fell to cup one slender shoulder, fingers giving it a gentle squeeze. "Don't give up just yet."

She nodded, because there was nothing to say that wasn't already said, because they knew she would never back down until she got her throne back, because the people that were suffering were her people – her reasons were never to avenge her parents' death, but they found it hard to believe.

With a smile that made her lips tingle, Zelda touched the hand on her shoulder, and both princesses regarded each other fondly for a full minute before they joined the other two assassins, and the group finally left the area.

* * *

The general straightened from his bowing position, fist firmly resting over his heart, and stepped into the balcony from which he had witnessed one flimsy assassin outdoing most of his guard. "Your Majesty," he directed his words to the king, who hadn't moved an inch since the escapade, "what are your orders?"

Ganondorf didn't bother turning around. "There will be other chances to get them killed. In the mean time, train the army." He paced to the left, palm sliding over the railing. "I don't want to miss another chance." The Hylian behind him bowed once more, and the king added gruffly. "I leave it in your hands to capture them however you please. But the one that attacked tonight, they're mine." The Gerudo turned then, yellow eyes vicious and evil under the now dim candle light. "I want to finish them myself."

"As you wish." The general clasped his hands together and smiled in mirth, turning to face the two other people present. "Shad, try to find out their identities. It won't be too hard or you."

The brunet bowed his head, pushing his glasses back up with a finger as they started to slip down his nose. "Yes, sir."

"Ashei," the girl squared her shoulders and saluted, and he nodded in appreciation, "we're studying new ways to attack and we're starting tonight."

Both the captain and the advisor in training bowed as Ganondorf passed them in his way for the door, the general following after a few breaths, and once they were out of sight both friends straightened and dropped their shoulders, but were fast to follow the duo. Their king went away to return to his chambers, Shad was the next to go, heading straight to the castle's library. "Follow me," said the general, already guiding the way to his office.

Ashei rolled her neck tiredly and with a sigh went after him. "Yes, General Link."

* * *

_"__Daddy, what is this?"_

_Princess Zelda, known as the curious one and rumored to being blessed by Nayru with her large appetite for knowledge, tapped her small index finger to the page her father had just opened, pointing at a gravure of a place located east of Hyrule Castle._

_The king smiled at her enthusiasm and provided her the information she so much needed. "This, my darling, is Gerudo Valley. To get there you need to cross all this area," he gestured to a portion between Lake Hylia and said place, "known as Gerudo Desert, a place surrounded by tall rocks."_

_"__Tall rocks?" She blinked her pretty large blue eyes, twinkling in excitement; her father nodded. "How tall?"_

_"__Very tall."_

_"__Taller than Hyrule Castle?"_

_He chuckled and shifted on his seat. "Yes, taller than Hyrule Castle."_

_"__Taller than Death Mountain?"_

_A hand ruffled her darkening blonde hair, turning brown as days passed, but he didn't confirm, nor did he correct her guesses. "There lives a race known as Gerudos, once known as thieves, but sometime in the past treaties were made and now we live in harmony." He turned the page, pictures of dark skinned women dressed in bright colors were imprinted on the pages, depicting many different activities, from the more mundane to the ones that one would deem as impossible to achieve. "They are really friendly people. They have great taste in music, and all women are great fighters, Queen Nabooru included."_

_Zelda observed the pictures as one would watch the water when fishing, and cooed in delight when she leaned forward to better see them. "Will I meet them someday?"_

_The king never had a chance to reply, for in that moment a knight entered his private study room, and the older man put the book down on the table top; his daughter hopped off his lap right away, knowing it was important and that her conversation with her father had to be put on hold. _

_"__The castle is under attack!"_


	2. Chapter II

Hey hey hey!

Another day, another chapter! Introducing a new character and revealing identities uvu I feel the need to say that, **all out of character-ness behaviours will be explained in due time. **You'll understand once you get to the second part of this chapter. And remember that everything here happens for a reason!

Inspired by Assassin's Creed Unity, Ubisoft's inability to make playable female characters, Hyrule Warriors, and headcanons for Zelda U. Shoutout to Lorde for making a cover of the song which this story was named after.

Thank you for reading and don't forget to tell me what you think!

* * *

**Chapter II**

* * *

In the morning of the following day, Ilia stayed in Ordon whilst Zelda and the other assassin went out into Hyrule Field, dressed in commoner clothes and riding dun horses at a moderate speed towards Lake Hylia. They left early in the morning, before sunrise, but only arrived at the pool of water by the time the sun was nearing its peak in the sky, and the equines were left to nibble on a portion of tall grass as the two assassins sat on the shore with their legs dipped in the cool water.

Zelda leaned back on her hands, brown hair tied in a loose braid and stray locks tucked behind her pointed ears, eyes squinted at the bright light and lips twisted in a frown, nails digging into the soil. "He never told me if they were taller than Death Mountain."

Her friend turned in her direction. "Your Highness?"

"My father." She explained, chin tilting up towards the rocks on the other side of the lake. Nothing else was said, there was no need to say his last words one more time to the one person who had heard them coming from Zelda's mouth various times in the past, still the other lowered their gaze to the sparkling water.

"As long as you have your mother's crown-"

"There is still hope," Zelda finished, "I know... I know." Her fingers curled around the blades of grass, nails dirt and brown, and pulled at the plants, drawing them out from the soil with root and all. "Too bad getting what is rightfully mine will not bring them back."

"Your Highness-"

She sunk down lower by placing her bare elbows on the ground, and her eyelashes cast long shadows on her cheeks when she closed her eyes. "There is no need for formalities." They inhaled in unison, "I do not know why you are still here."

The other assassin glanced down at her, a serious look taking over their expression. "I promised your mother I would protect you."

"I am no longer royalty," Zelda lowered her back to the ground and lied there, hands clasped over her ribcage and sun shining on her face. "You do not need to be here."

Her friend mimicked her, slowly rolling back to lie beside the one who should be sitting on the throne in Hyrule Castle, and kept their red eyes open, staring up at the cloudless sky. "I am still your friend."

A smile touched Zelda's lips, eyelids fluttering open to the outside world. "Thank you, Impa."

* * *

The queen of Gerudos, and now of all of Hyrule, walked towards the castle library, dressed in fine fabric and head held high, crossing well lit hallways with a deadly sort of elegance. Servants bowed as she passed, forms shaking, but still not as much as when they bowed before her husband. She went on her way without acknowledging them; over time she learned that a simple glance in their direction could cause them to breakdown, and their reactions no longer bothered her.

Upon entering the library, she spotted General Link, his future advisor Shad, both accompanied by the ever present Captain Ashei. The trio was circling around a table with maps and strategy books open and placed about, drawing exes on random locations with red ink, murmuring information and plots under their breaths, and stopped to look up from their work when the door clicked shut behind her back. The Gerudo dismissed their bows with a flick of her wrist as she approached them with quick, long strides, and walked up to the bespectacled man to the right, cupping his face between her hands and tilting it down. "Here you are," kissing his forehead, she held him at arm's length for a moment to regard him fondly. "How are my boys doing?" She moved on to the other man, placed her palms on his cheeks and pulled him closer to kiss his forehead as well, which caused him to groan.

"Mom..." Link whined as she pulled away, and ran a hand through his hair. "Not in front of other people."

"What?" The queen asked with a laugh as she lowered her hands to his shoulders. "I need to check on my boys, you two skipped lunch again." She stressed the last word by giving him a light and quick pinch on the lobe of his ear, right beside the blue earring. "Besides, it's not like Ashei is going to tell the other guards. Right, Ashei?"

The knight gave her a firm, reassuring nod. "Maybe one guard or two," she joked, or tried to, in a serious tone, much to the queen's delight, who laughed softly; Link grumbled, turning away.

"Mother," The eldest son pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "We were planning a new form of attack and forgot about the time. Forgive us."

She turned to him as he picked a book from the table top, and smiled. "How can I not forgive my two successful sons?" Her fingers threaded through his copper colored her like she had done many times in the past when tucking him to sleep. "Keep studying, my son, someday you're going to aid your brother and lead this kingdom to prosperity."

Shad parted his lips to speak, but decided against it. He licked them and averted his gaze; the Gerudo's hand fell from his hair to rest at her side, and she stepped away from the trio as she moved for the door. Prosperity; what kind of prosperity, he was about to ask, for the world outside the castle was in chaos. It was prosperity for his father, but it wasn't prosperity for him – and certainly not for Ashei, or so the queen believed. Link, on the other hand, young, brave Link, would do whatever to make his parents happy, regardless if he believed in their ideology or not.

The Gerudo opened the door and stopped by the threshold, back turned to the trio of Hyruleans. "Ashei," she heard as the armor shifted and the knight saluted, and continued. "Please, watch over them. Shad especially."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Nabooru exited the room.

* * *

"We should head home soon, Zelda."

The princess hummed slowly, hands gently squeezing the fruit in her grasp, and replied, almost absentmindedly. "We still have time."

Impa corrected her instance and turned her back to the modest fruit stand, eyes watchful for the crowd. Yes, she knew they still had time, the gates would only close at sunset and it was still mid-afternoon, but the Sheikah, designed to protect the rightful princess of Hyrule since birth, did not want the subject of her worries to remain for too long in Castle Town. Her fear was not that Zelda would be recognized; the attack had happened when she was only six and at that time the princess still had blonde hair, but the sight of her people, poor and suffering and begging for money and food would destroy her, as if the mere thought of it did not already.

Zelda turned the orange in her hand, fingers tracing the darkened skin of the fruit, eyes hooded and lips twisted in a frown. It saddened her; overripe fruits, just one step away from being inedible, were being sold to the townspeople for an incredibly high price. Kids and their mothers searched the curbs for anything that could be eaten, while fathers and husbands tried to find someone who would hire them. Like most of the guards, the Hylians that chose to have one Gerudo as lover, either for the benefits or for the sexual pleasure, were allowed to live in the best homes and to maintain their jobs; some left their families in hopes they would be able to sustain the other parent and their kids, others left because the need to maintain a high social status was far greater than the well being of their families. Knights that vowed to protect the kingdom and the Royal Family turned their backs and sided with Ganondorf when faced with the possibility of death; leaving families behind shouldn't be much different, Zelda mused.

She returned the fruit to the stand, ran by one fidgety Hylian that watched the others with wide eyes, and whirled around on her heels to join the Sheikah, but she was nowhere to be seen. Fearing the worst, Zelda went ahead and searched the small crowd of townspeople, aware that finding Impa would not be an easy feat given she was trained to hide and not to stand out, but she would appear sooner or later. Having Impa beside her was the only thing Zelda could count on at all times.

For being so focused in trying to find the Sheikah, she ran straight into a firm body, as tall as her but perhaps three inches shorter, and took two steps back to find her balance. "Please, forgive me, miss. I was not looking at where I was going." The woman stood straighter, lips parted and ready to speak, but the words died in her throat at the sight of familiar round glasses and auburn hair, and her breath left her lungs. "Miss?" He asked, tone hesitant, and her mouth worked but nothing came out. "Are you feeling well?"

"Shad!" She half exclaimed, half hissed with urgency and looked around, feeling like an outlaw trying to hide from the guards – which was partially correct. "Shad, it's me! Zelda!" Her fingers curled inwards so she would not grab his shoulders and shake him, and he seemed to doubt her as his brow furrowed and he took one step back. "Zelda IV Harkinian Nohansen Hyrule, daughter of King Daphnes and Queen Rosenna!" Her shoulders dropped when he seemed to doubt her still, "Shad, please, it's me!"

He stared at her for a while, taking in the shape of her eyes and the curve of her nose, things that made her so recognizable before, but it was when she knitted her eyebrows that he saw the young princess from back then standing right before him. "Goodness!" He exclaimed breathlessly, then cupped a gentle hand around her elbows to guide her to the side of the street. "Zelda!" He whispered as urgently as she had, fighting back the urge to touch her and see if she was real, "How did you survive? Are you okay?"

She nodded quickly as her fingers twisted together. "I am, I am! My mother, she..." Zelda swallowed and pressed a fingertip to the inner corner of her eye, pausing momentarily. "Impa saved me! I am fine."

"I am so relieved! All this time I thought you were dead!" Shad took a sharp intake of breath and reached for her hand, which she took eagerly, fingers too tight and shaking, but his were exactly like hers. "Zelda– Ganondor– I– Things are so–"

"I know, I know. Look Shad," hand detangling from his and hid it behind her back, Zelda inquired, "Can we talk tomorrow?"

The man seemed to want to step forward, but went backwards instead, knowing it was best to keep some distance. "Of course! Where?"

Zelda fixed her gaze over his shoulder and spotted a familiar figure approaching at a fast pace. "Lake Hylia." She said quickly, blood rushing in her veins. "Can you go?"

"Yeah," he breathed, and in seconds she had her back turned to him and was several feet away. She was fast, he thought, and skilled enough to evade other civilians, barely brushing past them as she went on her way. Shad accompanied her with his eyes until a tall and slender figure joined the princess, and he turned his head away before they could make eye contact.

"Who was that?"

The scholar nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his adoptive brother's voice. Heart hammering in his chest, he spun around quickly to face the shorter Hylian and searched his mind for anything to say, swallowing hard under the hard gaze. "No one!" Link squinted his eyes at him, and Shad played with the cuffs in his sleeves whilst he bit the inside of his cheek. "Look at the time, it's getting late, mom must be worried. Let's go, Link."

Shad quickly walked past him, headed towards the castle, and didn't wait for the General to follow him. Link, oblivious to the fearful looks the population was shooting in his direction, stared off at where the girl had gone, but saw no one as tall as her or even similar in appearance. With a slight shrug of his shoulders, he went after his brother, chin high and confidence in each step he took.

* * *

Zelda was alive.

Zelda was alive and he had seen her with his own eyes.

Shad ran a hand over his mouth, which felt dry despite the fact that he had just sipped his drink. Had Link not appeared there at the moment, he would have thought his eyes were deceiving him. He cleaned his glasses a couple of times after the incident, washed his face even, and spaced out for the remainder of the afternoon until a servant was sent after him lest else he would miss supper. And that was where he was found at the present moment, sitting to Link's left, the furthest seat away from both king and queen, Ganondorf and Nabooru, not that he minded, he never did. Link had always been favored by the Gerudo man, taught to be a great swordsman to one day take his place in this kingdom that wasn't his, and Shad was always just there, taught to be his brother's advisor when the moment came.

But Shad didn't want that. He never wanted help rule a kingdom that belonged to his dear friend, and now that he knew she was alive he didn't want to take part in it. Link, on the other hand, had no recollection of Zelda, Shad doubted he remembered the princess and her family, it was unlikely that the young Hylian remembered his life before the attack. Link would do anything to make his surrogate father happy, the one who taught him the laws of this world and how to wield a sword, how to be brave and how to get the things he wanted. He would go to great lengths to ensure that things remained this way, that Hylians and humans and Zoras and Gorons were put under Gerudos and Ganondor's minions and allies, because that was normal for him, that was how he grew up.

"You haven't touched your food, dear." Nabooru commented, and Shad felt two pairs of eyes on him as Link snorted. He swallowed thickly.

"Shad has a girlfriend."Link teased around a mouthful of grilled fish, and his brother cursed silently under his breath. Shad swore Nabooru's gasp could be heard from the top of Death Mountain, and Ganondorf's gaze now seemed to be completely focused on him for once.

The queen lowered her silverware to the tabletop, yellow eyes shining bright, hopping on her seat, and reached her hands across the table. "Who is she, sweetie? Why didn't you invite her for dinner?"

Shad took her hands and gave her a nervous and hesitant smile, a visible contrast with his mother's wide grin. "She's not my girlfriend. She's just a friend."

Link snorted again, fork midway to his lips. "Yeah, right." The other Hylian scrunched up his shoulders as his mother swung his hands from side to side with hers. "He's got a date tomorrow."

"Link!" Shad recoiled his hands to bury his face in them, skin bright red. Nabooru wrapped her fingers around her husband's wrist, shaking his arm and gaping at her son whilst Ganondorf didn't seem to be phased at all. "Don't say such lies."

"That's wonderful! Bring her over sometime; we would love to meet her, right, dear?"

Ganondorf's gaze seemed to harden as he sipped his wine, and as he lowered the crystal goblet he clicked his tongue. "I don't see why she wouldn't be welcomed here." Shad felt his muscles go lax, but still managed hold a composed stance, even as Link chuckled and his mother shot him a million questions, and the scholar cleared his throat whilst he pushed his chair back.

"May I be excused?" No answer was given as he bowed his head in respect and left the dining room. The queen called out for him and demanded answers, Link pulled his brother's untouched plate of food a little closer, and the king went back to his meal, as unreadable as always.

As he walked to his bedroom, Shad debated whether or not he should share this newest information with Ashei.

* * *

_"What are these?" Zelda wrinkled her nose and tapped the book repeatedly, causing Shad to direct his squinted eyes at the figure object of her scrutiny. The boy gave her a slight apologetic shrug and resumed cleaning his reading glasses, rubbing circles on the lenses with the soft fabric of his scarf._

_When his spectacles were perched upon his nose bridge and cheek bones, the princess pushed the book towards him for analysis and sat back on her chair, kicking her legs and fiddling with her fingers, and Shad adjusted his glasses one last time before cracking a grin. "Ah, these... These are the Oocca."_

_"The what?"_

_"Oocca." He smiled at her evident confusion and flipped through the pages until he found what he wanted. "Says the legend they are the closest species to the gods, even closer than us." He passed the book to her hands, open on a page depicting various sketches of what said creatures could look like. "Some say we are their descendants."_

_Zelda stuck out her tongue in distaste; such odd little creatures, half chicken, half human. "I'm prettier than that."_

_Shad chuckled, and her eyebrows pinched at the sound. "So confident in our looks, are we?"_

_"Mama says self love is the best kind of love."_

_"She's right," he agreed with a nod, running his fingertips on the edge of the pages. "There's this thing called evolution. From here," one finger tapped the chicken-like figure, "to here," then gently poked her on the nose._

_She blinked, amazed. "Fast like that?"_

_He shook his head, "It takes time."_

_The princess closed the book and scooted closer to the edge of her seat to place it on the table, small hands giving it a push and making it slide closer to the pile of books placed in its center. "You're so smart, Shad." Zelda admitted in a cheerful tone, not noticing the blush that crept on his cheeks. "I wanna be like you."_

_"No, Zelda." Her eyes fell on him, and he patted the back of her hand affectionately. "I wanna be like you."_


	3. Chapter III

Another day, another chapter! And I must admit I'm enjoying writing this.

Yesterday I told the plot of this story to a friend, and he said it was the craziest thing he had ever heard. It's so sad to know some people haven't opened up their hearts for AUs yet, we must change that.

Every day I think of posting few teasers on my art blog, but I never know if I should, I don't want to spoil anything, but at the same time I do. It's complicated. Another thing I'd like to say is that, yes, I am working on more TP Zelink projects, one of them being another collection of oneshots that I never seem to make the time to work on that, and another one that will be published in November; it has a date set, and there will be concept arts coming up, hopefully!

And finally, about this chapter, here is the part you all were waiting for! Things will start getting more complicated from here, never be afraid to ask me if you don't understand something; I will explain, but only if it won't spoil the story uvu

So that is it! Thank you all for reading, and don't forget to leave a comment~~ xx

* * *

**Chapter III**

* * *

Shad, for all his intelligence, had the talent of doing things without thinking them through. Many times in the past he did get himself in a mess or another, like that one time when he climbed a tree to get fresh peaches for a bedridden Zelda, never mind the bee hive situated close to the ripest peaches or his allergy to their stings. As result both he and princess were forced to stay in bed for a couple of days, in separate chambers with only their books as company.

This natural ability of his, and also his inability to lie since a young age, earned him an affectionate, or so Ashei said, nickname, given by his lady knight friend: in her words, he was, simply, a fuck up. When Ashei visited the castle, Zelda always thought her presence was a great excuse to try and sneak out of the castle, seeing as the former was a knight in training; young Zelda was the typical child, the curious type that needed to see the world and its components with her own eyes; her parents let her enjoy her childhood as long as she studied daily, for one day she would have to grow up. While the other girl was always so reluctant to go with the plan, Shad always agreed without a second thought, as eager and curious as the princess – but for a guy, even as young as he was, who knew he needed to have logical thoughts since early in life, one would not expect that he advised the future queen of Hyrule to go. The same applied for Zelda; who would expect that the princess would want to sneak around?

It was always the same outcome; if they were either trying to get to Castle Town or sneaking into the kitchen to snack on baked goods behind the cooks' backs, Shad always gave it away, did not matter if Zelda or Ashei made up a lie that was so good anyone would believe it. The only boy in the trio would either flush bright pink or look very pale and sick; the poor thing could not keep his cool. Over time he learned with the knight how to conceal his thoughts and emotions, which he did frequently, especially when in the same room as Ganondorf. It was Hyrule's sudden downfall that drove him to focus on his studies and learn to behave nicely, wanting only to survive; one could not trust the Gerudo king, not even if he was your surrogate father. Only Hylia knew, if she did at all, the things he could and would do. Shad always thought that, if Zelda was not around anymore, then he might as well try and live, both he and Ashei, supporting each other and secretly plotting to guide Hyrule to the right direction when the opportunity presented itself.

Only when he arrived at the Lake by midmorning, the deserted place still chill from the dawn's cold air, did he stop to think things through. It was as if Zelda's sudden appearance had made him travel back in time and be his seven years old self again – if that even was Zelda to begin with. So taken by surprise and a thin sliver of hope that maybe things would be fine again, he never stopped to consider that perhaps this woman who presented herself as Zelda could not be her. Or worse, she could be a spy sent by his father; Ganondorf never seemed to trust him. Shad would be killed for certain if the latter was true. He should have talked to Ashei on the previous night, he knew he should have. But looking at things now he was glad he did not; Ashei could be spared, she was oblivious to it all.

The scholar sat under the shade of a tree and let his horse loose to munch on a patch of tall grass to his left. It was wrong to trust the fading memory of a six years old princess, who at the time was blonder than she was a brunette, and definitely shorter than him. A pair of knitted eyebrows was no identity certificate. The only thing he could do now was wait... Or flee.

Moments passed and he was finally joined by someone; the woman from the market place appeared, mounted high on a tan horse with black mane. He stood as she approached, then waited as she dismounted her ride and patted it on the neck, and she gave him one apologetic smile as her beast shuffled towards its kin. "I apologize for my lateness", her eyes, blue and squinted at the light, held his gaze with no trouble. "I was making sure you were not followed."

"There is no problem." He took in her appearance, hair braided in the same fashion as he first saw it, tunic as blue as the sky, tan pants that matched the coat of her horse, and leather riding boots. Her hand fell to a satchel tied by her hips, drawing his attention to that spot.

"I brought something to prove my identity." She must have seen his shoulders dropping in relief, but said nothing of it. Instead, she drew from inside the satchel a golden crown with a lonely sapphire on the front and passed it to him.

Shad felt the cool material in his hands, observed it with a critical eye as if hoping it would talk and say something. Under the weight of her gaze, he twirled the crown around, light catching in the gem and at times throwing a thin strip of a rainbow on his skin. He met her eyes after a while, crown passing from his grip to hers. "You look nothing like your mother."

"Thank the Goddesses for that." He heard her unvoiced words in his mind, _or else hiding would be impossible._

He invited her to sit with him, which she accepted with a nod and a soft sigh. "Is Impa around here?"

Zelda sat back, wrists propped on her bent knees, and looked out at the water of the lake. "She is not supposed to be, but you never know."

"Does she follow you at all times?"

She nodded, "She is like a shadow. Lives up to her name, as you can see."

Jokingly, Shad looked around as if searching the area, sweeping his gaze over the location quickly. "I guess you could say I can." Zelda lowered her head, breathing out a laugh in the space between her arms. In return he smiled softly at her, but there was no time to beat around the bush. "Where are you staying?"

"Ordon." She replied, lowering a hand to the ground to pick on the blades of grass. "Just the perfect place, if you think of it."

"A place part of Hyrule, but not truly considered part of it." He quoted one history book they read long, long ago, seeing her nod in agreement from his peripheral vision. "The perfect place."

"Secluded and small." She mused aloud, "Who would ever be suspicious of someone from there?"

Her friend cast his gaze down, and Zelda, realizing her slip, bit the inside of her cheek as her eyes closed and she mentally prayed for forgiveness. "Considering that he was taken..."

A groan, then her other hand slid down her face, coming to a stop before her mouth. "Him of all people," her muffled voice slipped past the gaps of her fingers, hand falling to the soil as she let out a long sigh. "Does Link not suspect anything?"

Shad shook his head, and both Hylians stared at the tall rocks surrounding the location. Of course he wouldn't. Link didn't have any recollection whatsoever of his own parents, imagine if he would remember _him_. "He does not speak a word. Not a curse, a groan, a mutter. Nothing."

"Why did they capture him?" She inquired, the answer long known by her.

The man, glad and relieved to know she did not include him as one of the captors, forgot to exclude himself when answering. "We want to know things, but he will not tell us who these assassins are."

Zelda felt her insides go cold, goose bumps creeping up her arms as a wave of ice seemed to enclose around her heart. She twisted the fingers of her left hand, the one far from Shad's view, tightly around the grass, green blades snapping under the pressure, and focused on her breathing so it would not be too deep or too shallow. She thanked Impa and Midna's parents for teaching her how to maintain a composed expression; they knew how useful it would be for her, considering the path she chose.

Silence reigned over them, Zelda still counting, Shad in his own little world. She should have known – not the reason as to why they captured him, but that Shad would be after the assassins too. He worked for the evil king; he had to do as he was told. Telling him that her, a Sheikah, who were supposed to be extinct, the princess of Twilight Realm and a farm girl were the ones trying to wipe out the Gerudo man would be far too risky. One for that she had no idea how he would react, two for Shad was terrible at keeping secrets.

The princess had to give the captured man gold and jewels for being so tight-lipped and loyal to the creed.

"How is he doing?" She wondered finally, and Shad let out what she assumed to be a pained breath.

"Sometimes I swear he will not recover or wake up. But he does. He always does." He reached for a pebble lying by the roots of a tree and quickly threw it forward, where it fell just close to the shore. "He is as stubborn about speaking as he is about dying– That is a terrible comparison, I am deeply sorry!" She waved off his apology, understanding what he meant. "It is just sheer willpower that makes him go on."

Nibbling on her bottom lip momentarily, Zelda mused to herself, humming all the while. "If you ever see him, tell him that Griselda is deeply sorry."

Shad nodded his head then turned to face her. "Who is Griselda?"

"Me," She offered with half a smile, eyes downcast. "That is my codename."

His lips parted in an 'o' shape as he reclined back on his hands, and just for their sakes he changed the subject.

* * *

The sun had rolled by in the sky, and Zelda found herself leaving Lake Hylia by mid-afternoon, just as she had on the previous day.

"Nabooru is a good mother," Shad told her, their boots crunching leaves and twigs, horses held by their sides by the reins. "But Ganondorf is a terrible father."

She had to chuckle at that. Of course he would be; that man would never be a good parent, not here in Hyrule, not in anywhere – perhaps, maybe, she wondered, he would be back where he belonged, in Gerudo Valley, the place he should have never left. "I am not surprised." Their gazes met; his filled with sadness, hers filled with something he could not pin point. It was not hatred, Zelda was incapable of hating, but it came pretty close. Maybe it was simply... Anger.

But his, oh his, she knew why his eyes looked so sad. Just like her parents were murdered by Gerudo hands, his father had the same destiny in the end. Killed by a golden eyed, red haired desert dweller, only for him to be spared and adopted by one of their kind. For the things he had said, the Gerudo Queen did sound like a good mother, yes, and Zelda had to admit that she did a fine job on raising her friend – but that would not make the princess overlook past issues. That would not excuse what she did. That was a mask Nabooru hid under.

The male Hylian shielded his eyes with a hand, looking past the tip of the hill they were climbing, towards the towers of Hyrule Castle. "But what about you?" He asked as they neared the top, hand falling to his side and eyes squinted at the bright light. "Where did you run off to?" He had tried, at least twice, to coax her into telling him just what exactly happened and how she ran away, but she made faces, frowned, glanced away, openly avoided talking about it, and he dropped the subject, knowing better than to push her.

And she was about to speak for once, lips parting and eyes focused ahead, when the neigh of a third horse reached their ears, and her mouth shut close, jaw setting.

Approaching fast atop a red mare was none other than General Link. Shad swallowed, and Zelda put up her walls.

"Forgive me for interrupting," his horse stopped few feet away from them, air flaring through her nose. Epona, Zelda recalled distantly, Link's pet horse given to him on his fifteenth birthday, the reason Shad broke an arm. "You are required over at Hyrule Castle, Lord Shad."

The general hopped off the beast and approached them, eyes trained on her face; Zelda met his gaze evenly. "I thought my schedule was empty for today."

Slowly, Link turned his head to the side towards his adoptive brother, but his eyes remained locked with hers. "It was, until Queen Nabooru decided you owed her some answers."

Shad turned red in the face, just a second before the brunette decided to glance at him. Fumbling with his words, he apologized to his dear friend and mounted his horse in a rush, almost toppling over when it began to move around before he was properly seated. "General, this is my friend Griselda." Zelda's eyebrow arched ever so slightly; so he remembered to keep up the act. "Could you please take her home?"

So much for thinking he had finally learned.

"Say, Lord Shad," she put extra emphasis on the title, which caught his attention immediately, "what was that nickname you said you did not like?" He stared at her, eyebrows pinched and mind reeling, and when the words _fuck up_ rang in his ears did he realize his mistake. Mumbling out apology after apology to the princess, he kicked his horse and went on his way, face redder than before, leaving the two behind.

Zelda watched him go, until he descended the hill and the horse stepped onto flat soil, and turned to her own, hand stroking its side as she moved. "Allow me to help you." Link stepped in closer, holding a hand out for her to take, but she did not even spare it a glance as she hooked her foot on the stirrup and swung her leg over the horse's back.

With reins in hand she finally looked down at the blond. "I appreciate your help, but I guarantee you it is not needed."

He lifted an eyebrow at her words, and mounted his horse just as hers turned to leave. "Too bad I cannot let Lord Shad's girlfriend go home alone."

"Lord Shad," she clicked her tongue, and then added in a slight mocking tone. "Girlfriend." With a kick of her heels the horse galloped forward, General Link close behind.

It was the oddest of feelings, and it was enervating, too, to be followed by the man. He was always a few steps behind, or just beside her, sharp blue eyes trained on her form. She ignored the intensity of his stare, keeping her own focused forward, grip too tight around the reins, but managed to keep her face serene and shoulders seemingly relaxed as they sped through the field. Many times she had contemplated of picking up her pace, but she had already neglected his help when offered; any more wrong moves could be taken as offensive, and she would rather not find out how far he could be pushed before snapping. Just a little longer, she told herself, even as they stopped by a pool of water to let her hose drink from it. Zelda had to admit, though, that at least he was doing a good job in taking her home safely like Shad asked him to; while he did her the favor of watching their surroundings as she helped herself with some water and refilled her canteen, she repaid it by guiding his horse, along with hers, so they could quench their thirst.

Once mounted on the dun beast again, she took his horse by the reins, passing them to his hands once he had turned away from the spot he had been observing. Link thanked her with a nod of his head and climbed onto Epona one second later, and set off after her, gaze now focused elsewhere. She paid little attention to the scenery and instead chose to nibble on her bottom lip as a hundred different thoughts filled her head. The rhythmic sound of hooves on soft ground provided little distraction to her worried mind, and she pondered and wondered if by any means Shad would share their secret with Ashei; as much as her alliance would mean so much, there were already too many people who knew she was alive, and besides, if Ganondorf found out that they knew he would not spare their lives.

"You live in Ordon?" Link turned just as a shudder ran throughout her body, arms locked in place as she tried to repress it. "It is getting colder, take this." He was already pulling off his coat by the time her mouth opened to reply, and she was left with little choice than take it and put it on. It was heavy, its inside was of wool and the outside of leather. She had expected it to smell like rich and fancy perfumes, but it only smelled of soap and something else she could only classify as his natural smell.

Link outstretched a hand and pulled her braid from inside the coat, letting it free to hang behind her back. "Would you like me to accompany you to Ordon?"

She shook her head; the last thing she wanted, and the last thing the villagers needed, was to have this man so close to their homes again. "It is not needed, thank you." Then, "It will be nightfall soon. It is too dangerous to wander at night, even for a man like you."

He nodded and gazed at the sky as if to check if what she just said was true. "So it is," the general lowered his eyes to her face, a slight grin tugging at his lips. "But it is my duty that I protect the residents of Hyrule." She could only nod once lest she would express her thoughts wrongly, but her mind was already working at an incredibly fast pace and digesting the words just spoken. When the woman said nothing else, he kicked his heels softly on Epona's sides to get her to move and turn away from the path that lead to Ordon. "I will take my leave then. Take-"

"Wait."

Zelda was aware of all the things he did, still it did not mean she should wish harm upon him. Pulling at the reins, her horse trotted closer to his and stopped facing the winding road, unintentionally leaving both Hylians too close to each other. Link's eyes followed as her hand reached the other side of the horse, and they widened slightly when he was presented with the canteen she had refilled not too long ago. "It would not be a wise idea to stop and drink on your way back." Without looking at his face, she passed the object to him, being careful to avoid his gloved hands. "Do not worry about returning it, though I do believe I will give your coat to Lord Shad so he can deliver it to you."

Finally glancing up, she was surprised to see him smiling, more openly and genuinely than before. The action struck a chord in her chest and it clenched almost painfully, but she did a splendid job in masking it as he thanked her and tucked the canteen away. After numbly wishing him a good trip and voicing her thanks when she did the same, her dun horse remained rooted on the spot waiting for her commands, but she could only watch his retreating form.

Impa, who was never too far, joined her not too long after, touching a hand to her arm to rouse her from her musings.

"Goddesses, Impa." Zelda forced air into her lungs, the Sheikah held her hand, not minding her vice-like grip in the slightest, and patiently waited until the princess was breathing normally and color had returned to her features. "He is just a kid."

* * *

_Impa had been trained to serve the Royal Family of Hyrule, just like any other Sheikah had. She had just passed the final test, and just in time, she thought bitterly, as she clutched the sobbing child closer to her chest and raced through the dark passageways._

_They were under attack, a voice in her mind screamed, and she dodged any obstacles she could find with relative grace and ease. Her ears could only focus on the whines and little cries coming from the youth in her arms, but her ever watchful eyes never missed any detail of their surroundings._

_They were under attack, the voice repeated, as she ran out of one passage and right into the other, jumping over fallen bodies that she wished she did not recognize. At least one third of them were other Sheikah, and the bitter realization that she could be the only one left made something inside her snap and crack, but she could not allow herself to break down, not when there was still someone left to protect. The Royal Family still lived, she whispered to herself, as long as this child lived there still was something to live for._

_They were under attack, she held the princess closer, pressing herself against the wall to evade servants that hurried their way. There was not one place to hide, not one safe place inside the castle; there was no other option than leave. Determinedly, the protector ran out the next opening she could find, crouching low as she passed by a dead body and whisking away their dark clock, which she wrapped around the girl to shield her from the world. _

_They were under attack, it seemed impossible, but she made it outside, and for some divine reason there was a lost horse in the front courtyard of the castle. Impa did not waste a second longer to mount it and order it to run, run through battling soldiers and Gerudos, run over fallen forms and finally out the gates, crossing the drawbridge faster than the wind. Hyrule Field was a welcoming sight and she followed it, thirsty for peace and a less damaged place to shelter Zelda. The castle was not safe, the kingdom was not safe. They could only leave._

_They were under attack, she breathed in deeply and slowed down the pace once they were a safe distance from the battle. Moving the child to a more comfortable position, the Sheikah squared her shoulders and set off northeast; Twilight Realm was a good distance away, but it was the closest neighboring kingdom, not to mention the one that had the strongest ties with Hyrule._

_They were under attack, Impa said aloud, the shoulders she had squared so bravely dropped, and her wide red eyes could no longer register what was in front of them._


	4. Chapter IV

Hello everyone! Sorry for my absence, it's getting crazy around here with school things pooping up here and there ;;

I had this chapter written for some time now, but I don't feel comfortable posting one without having the sequel already done. It's a habit I created over the years after discontinuing many, many fics. I also reserved some time to start working on _that_ fic I talked about, the one to be posted later. I think I wrote two (prologue excluded) chapters of twenty six, I don't remember well. Just hoping I'll be able to keep up when I need to update both; hopefully, luck and time will be on my side.

Oh, good news! I got a new laptop, a much needed new one; my old one was so, well, old the keyboard wasn't working correctly anymore. I just need to get used to this new one, especially where the shift button is located, and after all my tests are over I will write like never before.

(also been working on another oneshot collection, but I don't have many ideas (and I gotta focus on these two first))(and I changed the summary - sounds much better now!)

I apologize for the wait, and hope you find this chapter enjoyable!

* * *

**Chapter IV**

* * *

The morning brought a thin layer of mist and a wave of cool air, both of which fell over Ordon. Zelda woke to find herself still dressed in the garbs she wore the previous day and alone in the house she and Impa shared in the outskirts of the village. After lying there with her fingertips pressed to the inner corner of her eyes, she stood to make her bed and left to find the mayor, arms crossed under her bust to keep some warmth.

Missing the comfort of her blankets as she walked the path towards the village, the princess tried to recall how she got to her home, but could only remember the events up until the moment Impa found her in Hyrule Field, and remembered, albeit faintly, when she passed out due to mental weariness, too. That thought triggered a train of thoughts, the same ones that kept her awake for hours, and her fingers pinched her nose bridge as she fought against the headache that threatened to reappear.

The mayor's house was just ahead of her, and no one seemed to have left their homes just yet. Her knuckles lightly rapped on the wood to announce her arrival, and she pushed the door open to enter the living room, finding the bald man sitting on a chair by the fireplace. He looked at her from over his shoulder when the door shut behind her back and stood from his seat, motioning with a hand to the cup on the table, which she took and filled with the warm liquid from the kettle. He returned his chair to where it belonged and let her enjoy the feel of her palms cupped around the cheap porcelain before speaking.

What he was about to say, though, died in his throat when he noticed the coat she was wearing. "What is this?"

Zelda shut her eyes tightly and winced, straightening her back and dropping her elbow from the tabletop. "It belongs to General Link." It was no use hiding the truth from him; he would find out sooner or later.

Mayor Bo's crinkled eyes widened at her confession, but he did not seem to be enraged by her words, thankfully. "And why is it with you?"

"Shad-" The man sitting across from her sighed, and she smiled slightly, "asked him to take me home."

"How nice of him," he murmured; whether or not he meant it, she did not know, she was just glad he did not resort to screaming. Bo watched as she concealed part of her face behind the cup, then turned away to face the fire. "How did it go?"

She sipped the coffee, the only one thing she did not like about her life in the village. Midna knew of her preference for tea and usually used it as bait to get her to move back to Twilight Realm, but Zelda would not give in for such a reason. "I have been debating this for quite some time now." And truthfully, if the light shadows under her eyes meant something was that she was still analyzing every word and every action that came from the blond Hylian. "I cannot confirm anything, though."

"You seem troubled."

It was not an accusation, but he did not seem too pleased by her statement either. Zelda took another sip, choosing her words carefully. "What I think of him will not change the fact that I will not back down."

That answer was enough to make him turn around again. Cup crinkling on the tabletop, Bo clasped his hands together and inched closer to the edge of his seat, leaning forward as if ready to share a secret. "And... What about him?"

An involuntary shudder rolled down her spine, and she, too, set her cup down. "Shad said they are doing terrible things to him. So terrible he thinks he will not open his eyes again."

Bo set his jaw, fingers curling inward tightly. Zelda brushed a stray lock of hair away and averted her gaze downwards, nails picking at the metal band around her thumb, and teeth biting down on her bottom lip. Blinking her eyes rapidly, the woman reclined on her chair and did not meet his eyes. "They want to know who we are."

"For Ordona's sake," the man muttered and clasped a hand over his mouth, disbelief washing over him. To capture a man and hold him hostage just to find out the identity of fours assassins... Ganondorf must really fear them if he wants to get rid of them so quickly. But perhaps, he did not fear them – he had an army that could take them down if they really put their hearts to it – but if their resistance inspired the population to do the same, the kingdom would collapse again.

The mayor resorted to crossing his arms and staring blankly at his cup of coffee, not noticing when his daughter appeared from upstairs after calling twice and started talking to the Hylian on the other side of the table about the things planned for the day. There was nothing they could do now, it was either fight or back away, on one hand their friend's death was possible, on the other it was a definite end.

They had to value his sacrifices.

* * *

The cavalry was just preparing to depart and the group would be leaving without the presence of their captain. Ashei stormed through the hallways, armor clanking with every step, and her negative vibes sent servants out of her way, but she hardly saw anything past the red in her vision. Only red, red and rage and blood boiling under her skin as she took long, quick strides towards the library, hands so tightly fisted her joints screamed in protest.

She all but kicked the door open, sending it flying in an arch and leaving a foot print on the wood. The Hylian inside the room jumped at the loud bang that echoed inside, then cowered away with a hesitant and nervous smile as the knight closed the gap between them, hooked a hand in the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. "Explain." She bit out, face dangerously close to his and tone as restrained as her patience would let her.

Shad patted her wrists lightly, hoping she would release him, but she only shook him once, trying to force words out of him. "I-It's important-"

"It better be." Without warning, Ashei released his shirt and hastily pulled one chair to seat as the man fixed his outfit. "Now spit it out."

He wordlessly pushed a glass of water in her direction and stood from his seat to close the door, taking the care of looking out at the hallway to check for anyone who could come and enter. The most important people would not pass by; Link was leaving to Kakariko (without Ashei, Shad reminded himself, and she was pissed at that), both Nabooru and Ganondorf would attend to a meeting that would take at least two hours to finish, he had enough time.

He was back at the table two heartbeats later. The glass he passed her was drained of all contents, but Ashei did not seem to have gotten rid of her ill feelings. Shad dared pat the back of her hands – it was a good sign that she let him do that – and returned to his seat, eyes boring into hers. He contemplated how to say it, how to break it out to her that their friend was alive, but the stress line between her eyebrows got deeper and deeper with each second, her patience running thin.

"Zelda is alive." He blurted out just when she was about to speak, or probably scream, and that took her completely out of guard. Her mouth snapped shut and all traces of anger left her expression, leaving the knight staring blankly at him as she had always had. Shad swallowed and breathed in sharply, breaking the silence. "She is alive."

For the longest time Ashei sat there, unmoving and silent, eyes taking the longest time to blink. Finally she seemed to register what was said, and after shaking her head slightly she leaned in closer, tone low. "So the girlfriend Link was talking about...?"

The scholar breathed out in relief, glad that she had picked up on it so quickly like he knew she would. "That's her," he whispered and organized the papers on the tabletop to busy his hands.

Ashei looked away deep in thought, chin propped on her closed fist and eyes focused on nothing. Shad knew that look all too well; while it did not mean she doubted him, it meant she was trying to weigh it and see if it could be true. None of them saw when she escaped, it was impossible to judge from there. So he told her about the crown and how it was the real one. It would be easier to convince her now, for they knew Rosenna's crown was never found after the attack, they had simply come to a mutual, silent agreement that it was stolen during the commotion.

That seemed to be enough for her. Ashei slumped on her seat and rubbed at her eyes with her fingertips. "I can't believe it..."

He nodded, to show he knew how she felt and to affirm the truth once more. "She lives, Ashei." He reached for her hand and gave it a soft squeeze, which she returned firmly. "She can help us."

She fought hard to fill her lungs with air; the truth was so good it left her breathless. "Let's pray to Nayru that she can." Shad smiled, and both of them forgot about the cavalry crossing the outer drawbridge.

* * *

General Link had had better days. The Gorons were unwilling to cooperate and it was the third time that month he was sent to talk to them, to no avail. Their patriarch would not grant him access to his chamber, and Goron after Goron rolled down the path and prevented Link from reaching the base of Death Mountain. It was sickening, how little they respected their king, Link physically felt ill and angry at their actions.

He met with his men at the foot of the ladder he had climbed, not too far from the farthest spot he could reach that day, and briefed them in on their current situation. His father had granted him five tries to contact the rock eating beings before he decided to come around himself and, in his words, "teach them to not make their king look like a fool". Link had only two more tries to prove his worth as a leader.

They walked back towards the main street of Kakariko, ready to go to the inn they had checked in. If he returned on the same day he left it would be no good to his image, not to mention Ganondorf would be sorely disappointed with him, and the thought of it was unacceptable. Link would not make the king regret the decision of putting him in such a high rank in the army; he was trained to be the best, he would be the best. He would meet all of his expectations and surpass them; Link had been, after all, raised by the Gerudo, the strongest of races.

So lost in his thoughts he was, he did not notice the group approaching and only realized they were there when one of their horses whined, catching Epona's attention. Lifting his gaze off the ground, he was surprised to see two girls accompanied by a cloaked figure and even more surprised once he recognized one of them as Shad's friend, Griselda, whom he had taken home just on the previous day. She did not seem to see him there, and only when the shortest of the trio moved backwards and closer to the taller did she realize they were not alone, her blues eyes locked with his and she stopped mid-sentence, mouth sealing shut slowly.

Link ordered his men to stay put by lifting a hand and strode towards the smaller group, Griselda walked to meet him after whispering something to her companions, and they stopped closer to the knights than to her friends, something his mind did not register. She was dressed in the same fashion as before, tunics and pants, as opposed to the shorter girl who wore typically Ordonian clothes, and the remaining person – he narrowed his eyes slightly in suspiciousness, but his attention was soon focused on Griselda again.

"You," she said simply and with such familiarity that he could have sworn they knew each other for years. Link decided then and there that he liked it.

"Me," he replied with the slightest of shrugs and one crooked smile. "I never thought I would see you again, and so soon."

She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, braid swishing behind her back. "Neither did I." Maybe his ears were deceiving him, but he could swear her tone seemed almost strained, and for a fraction of a second he saw something flicker in her eyes. He could usually ready people well, but she made it hard for him, as if she was aware he could do it.

But then again, maybe she was, considering his reputation as general. "What are you doing here?"

There it was again, that flash, that sparkle. Protection; that was what flickered in her irises. She wanted to protect her companions from him and from his army, she wanted to ensure they would not lay a finger on another person from Ordon. Remembering that he had taken a man by force right before their eyes, he guessed that, maybe, she did have a reason to fear for their lives.

"We have a few things to do."

He decided not to press on the matter, not wanting to get on her bad side, fully understanding her reasons to be on guard. "Would you care to join us for supper tonight, if you are staying?"

Griselda looked pensively at him, then quickly glanced over her shoulder to see her friends walking away from the barn, no horses in sight. "I will talk to them about it. Now, we must really get going. I apologize."

"I apologize for keeping you." Link stepped aside and bid her farewell, to which she replied with a polite smile and a nod of her head. The other two that came along with her passed by him quickly and followed her closely, and Link watched them walk away whilst he returned to stand by his horse and absentmindedly scratched the side of her neck.

Blinking his way out his trance-like state, he told his men to take their horses to the barn and to retire to their bedrooms for the remainder of the day, saying they deserved some time to rest after the long trip, but when he turned his eyes to Epona again, he saw from the corner of his eyes as the trio from Ordon entered the route to Death Mountain. Panic surged through him and he gave the nearest knight the hold of Epona's reins, then set off after Griselda, calling out for her but got no answer in return.

Upon arriving at the entrance, the sight that greeted him made him freeze in his tracks, his mind failing to feel or hear anything as he stared right ahead, at the top of the slope by the ladder, where a Goron bowed before Griselda and she nodded her head in return. Link watched the scene unfold as the rock creature motioned towards the path and said something, to which she replied before going down the road accompanied by the blonde girl.

He only came back to his senses when the cloaked figure turned to face him, the intensity of their stare was strong enough to make goosebumps rise on his flesh, and Link averted his eyes before walking away, taking the posture of one who pretended to not see anything.

* * *

The last time Zelda had seen Ilia looking so troubled and scared was when Ganondorf's army had marched into Ordona province and taken one of the most important figures of the village with it. She was not shaking like she had back then, but her green eyes were wide enough to let them know that something was off. The girl was having a hard time to hold her cup without trembling once or twice, so she settled to fisting her hands on her lap and biting down on her lip, brow furrowed and muscles tense. Honestly, Zelda shared her fears.

It was only when they were ascending the mountain that Impa spoke up for the first time in a while and told them about Link, who had seen the scene right at the entrance. The princess did not give it too much thought until the Goron just outside the Patriarch's room said they were not allowing anyone to go further down the road, and then she realized her mistake. She did not show it, thanks to all the years she spent with Midna, being raised by her mother and taught how to be a proper princess, but she could not deny that she was afraid he could find out. Doing a better job in masking her thoughts was Impa, the one who could switch back and forth between expressions faster than Zelda could.

Darbus, the Goron patriarch, looked as serious and as unreadable as always, seated across from them in a cross-legged position. He was not one to comfort people, not in the usual way; the strongest of Gorons had their own way of soothing someone's worry. "General Link may be many things, Your Highness," he started, efficiently drawing her attention to his face; "but one of his biggest flaws is that he can be naive."

She blinked, then shifted slightly on the pad she was seated. "I find that hard to believe, Chief."

"He can tell Ganondorf." Ilia murmured, fingers tight around the hem of her shirt. "And he will find out."

"He can, but he will not."

Ilia swallowed thickly, "How can you be so sure?"

The Goron grumbled low in his throat and lowered his elbows to his knees. "He trusts Ganondorf so blindly that he follows whatever orders are thrown his way without questioning. Give him a false explanation that is easy to believe and make him trust you, and he will not tell anyone anything."

"You are telling me to manipulate him."

"That is exactly what I am saying. You need that if you want to get to places." Zelda pressed her lips together and regarded him with hard eyes. Darbus merely met her stare unflinchingly and held it until she could no longer look at him; when her eyes were finally averted to glance at the Sheikah sitting beside her, he spoke. "Moving on to more pressing matters, I believe you are here for a reason?"

Zelda nodded her head; the reason why she came so far had long ago slipped of her mind. "Yes, actually, we came here to deliver information personally." The patriarch signaled her to go on, and Zelda wished Gor Coron was here to talk to them instead; he was more patient. "Queen Rutela of the Zoras has already departed to Twilight Realm. We are expected to leave in two weeks time. I suggest you do that beforehand as to not raise any suspicions."

"All leaders of Hyrule will be gone at the same time; I hardly doubt he will not find it suspicious." He noticed when both the Sheikah and the Princess ground their teeth together, and he admitted, he was making it so much harder for them. "Which route she took?"

"Her Majesty went west," Impa offered, giving Zelda space to breathe in deeply and recollect her thoughts.

Darbus nodded curtly. "We will go south and work from there. In five days we leave." Ilia's shoulders dropped in relief, and she pressed a hand to her forehead, eyes downcast. She seemed to have less experience in this field than her other three companions, but she was handling herself fine. He examined her for a moment, and then gazed at the woman in the middle; Ilia would toughen up as time passed. "Now I advise you to go. Stay around for much longer and you will have problems."

The trio rose to their feet and bowed in unison, earning an incline of his head in return. "Remember what I told you," he called out as they left, Zelda holding back the rough curtains that separated the chamber to the outer hall and allowing her friends to pass.

Her brow furrowed slightly. "To manipulate him, that is immoral."

"So is barging into a village and whisking away an innocent man." He countered, and her eyes narrowed further. "This is a war, there is no time for doing solely what is right. You will be a queen someday, and I am teaching you what you need to know."

Zelda focused her gaze elsewhere and pondered over his words. Her father had said many times that Darbus was an example to follow, while her mother had insisted she get inspiration from Queen Rutela. She guessed it was best to learn from both; they were both rulers of races in Hyrule and knew how the politics here worked better than anyone else. What she learned along with Midna would not apply in a kingdom as chaotic as this; Twilight Realm was on another level, one which Hyrule had once been, too. Ganondorf won her guard's submission through fear, and she had to play this game with the same cards. It was fire against fire, lies against lies, and slowly she would make her way to the top. The Goddesses would understand her reasons.

Silently, she inclined her head and followed after her friends, mind working to find the best way out. Darbus watched as the curtain fell back into place and reminded himself that her father would have told her all of this at some point in a different life.

* * *

_"Chief Darbus!" Cried a Goron whilst stumbling into the room, interrupting the meeting held by the patriarch and the Goron Elders._

_"What is the meaning of this!?" He barked, fists lowering to the tabletop and hitting it with enough strength to make everything upon it rattle and shake._

_The Goron hurriedly gave him a deep bow and continued quickly. "It's a message! From Twilight Realm!"_

_Murmurs arose from the elders and the leading Goron spared them a glance before standing from his seat and following the other outside, rolling down the mountain to its base as fast as they could go. It had been only two days since the Gerudo invasion and news had already spread out that the Royal Family had been eradicated; it was only a matter of time until Ganondorf showed his face around Death Mountain and Zora's Domain, and possibly Ordon too, ready to claim what was never his. _

_It was terrible. He knew of the reputation they had, of thieves and things alike, but he had never expected them to overthrowthe kingdom and rise up to the power, leaving many deceased and wounded along the path. What a terrible fate had befallen his friend Daphnes and his queen Rosenna, and their poor daughter Zelda must have spent the last moments of her life scared senseless. What a despiteful man Ganondorf was; all races had lived so well together for so long, what was it that made him want to change that?_

_They arrived at the base, where some of his people circled around a Shadow Kargorok, which wings flapped as if to drive them away. The citizens opened a path for him and he approached the creature, ready to take the message tied to its leg when a hand on his arm stopped him. "No," Gor Coron said with a smile and stepped ahead of him. "Let me." Darbus let him, knowing it was best for him to handle the creature at the moment, seeing as it was agitated and scared. _

_Gor Coron reached a hand and patted its head, then moved to take the letter and passed it to the patriarch, who snapped the wax seal and took a thick paper from inside the envelope. Queen Elliét's handwriting was somewhat calming, for it meant she and her people were safe from the Gerudo's evil doings, but the contents of the message had yet to be read._

_So he did, he read the letter – it was brief, consisting roughly of only ten lines, four of which were greetings and parting whishes – as someone offered water to the tired beast, and it drank from it, making the weirdest of noises as it leaned its head back to swallow the liquid. Then he read it again, for good measure, just to know that he was not reading things that were not written, and he read it once more, relief washing over him and filling every part of his body with a good feeling he could not exactly describe. _

_"Princess Zelda lives!" He announced and once again whispers broke through those who were close to hear. "She lives and she is hidden in Twilight Realm, under the care of Queen Elliét and King Ardian! Her protector, the Sheikah Impa, was able to flee the castle with her, and they are both well!"_

_Darbus turned his back to his people and prepared to ascend the mountain, only to be stopped by Gor Coron again. "What do we do now?"_

_"We wait for her return." He replied, crunching the letter in a hand. "And we burn this letter. Queen Rutela and Mayor Bo are receiving equal ones; it is best to let it rest in the fire of the Goron Mines." After receiving an approving nod, he resumed his trip to his chamber alone, leaving it in the hands of the former patriarch to instruct the populace._

_It was the first time he felt calm in a while, still his blood boiled in his veins._


End file.
